Happily Ever After?
by ChasingRainbows90
Summary: Jac and Jonny fic inspired (sort of) by Tuesday's (21.5.2013) episode.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back on my actual account :D which makes me happy. This is a one shot sort of inspired by Tuesdays episode - although it may decide to continue it. I'm not really sure yet. Hopefully it's ok and thank you to anyone who reads / reviews. **

He was standing in the school playground, his eyes trained on the door through which – at any moment – the tiny powerhouse that was his daughter would dash through before flinging herself in to his arms. He loved the days when she was able to collect her from school, to listen to tales of her day and to feel the way she nestled against him, tired from the adventures she'd had. He knew that soon she would be too big to carry around as much, that he would have to get used to her walking alongside him, a sign that she was growing up but for now he liked to hold her in the moments when she allowed it.

He could hear the gossip from some of the mothers. There were rumours that Lucy's mum – though he wasn't sure who Lucy or her mother were – was pregnant although it seemed not be her husband. By all accounts it appeared the father was a teacher, teaching aid or someone who ran one of the afterschool clubs that Lucy attended. He wasn't sure why he was listening really. He wasn't one for gossip – and besides he was certain that his own situation was probably under scrutiny by these women.

He smiled as the door opened, and he watched as the children ran free from the confines of the classroom. He knew that reception class still involved a lot of play for the youngsters but even so they always seemed to be happy to be let loose once again. He spotted his daughter instantly. The ribbons that held her pigtails in place had started to become unravelled, and it looked like she had paint of her face but she was grinning broadly.

"Hello Munchkin" He exclaimed as she swept her up in to the air and he felt her arms come around his neck as she placed a kiss on his cheek. She giggled and she pulled back a little in order to see his face as he started to carry her from the playground.

"We going to see mama?" She asked in her sweet voice, giving him a small hopeful smile. He tried not to frown at her question, every day she would ask him the same question and he hated that he always seemed to give her the same answer, the one she didn't want.

"You know Mum's working" he answered, though he knew what his daughter's usual argument was. That mum wouldn't mind them going in for a visit, so that she could see her mum's colleagues; the people she considered to be aunts and uncles. "I do have a surprise for you though" he tried to change the subject and it worked because he saw the way his daughter's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Is it a puppy?!" She exclaimed, almost bouncing in his arms causing him to grip her that little bit tighter to prevent her from slipping. He frowned a little at that.

"You know your mum wouldn't be very happy if I got you a dog" he answered, softly. He had forgotten that his little girl had spent the last few months absolutely begging for a dog of her own. Her Christmas list had consisted of a dog – with specifics relating to breed, colour and gender and then a list of pretty much everything she felt her dog would need. All written in bright colours in difficult to read scrawl.

"It could live at your house" was her almost instantaneous response and he wondered how much thought she had actually given this. She was looking at him with the most hopeful expression, that reminded him very much of a puppy begging for a home. It was an expression he was sure she had learned from him.

"Y'know my flat isn't big enough for a dog" he told her gently and he watched as her face fell "and I work so it would be on his own for much too long" she nodded as he said that, it was words very similar to the ones her mum has used.

"A kitten then, that's much smaller" she reasoned, her smile returning to her face. He wanted to smile, but he knew that would give her false hope. In some ways it had once been a dream, the idea of the house, the dog and the child but now that dream seemed to slip a little bit further away every day.

"It's not a kitten" he told her and he watched as she raised an eyebrow, one of her mother's traits. It was one of those looks that made him think he was looking in to the face of a miniature Jac Naylor.

"So it's not a kitten now, but you didn't say we couldn't" he sometimes wondered if his daughter was destined for a career in negotiation. Already she seemed to be a pro at picking out what she thought was important and being able to manipulate that for her own gain. He would have laughed in amusement but he knew she would give him the sad eyes, and accuse him of laughing at her, which would only make him laugh all the more.

"Cay, you know I can have any animals for now" He told her and she frowned. She wriggled in his arms and he knew she wanted to put down, that she would walk the rest of the way to his car. It was something he thought had come from her mother, that she would push away when she didn't quite get what she wanted. But he knew it wasn't quite that simple. Jac pushed people away to protect herself, because of her stupid fears.

"What if you lived with me and mummy, would I be allowed then?" She had stopped and turned to him, she seemed so much older as she stood there looking at him, and it shocked him for a moment. He wished it wasn't a standard statement for his daughter to make, to imply that things would be better, would work in her favour if her parents lived together. He hated that he couldn't tell her, how much he wanted it but how they had tried it when she was a baby and how it hadn't worked out because of some stupid mistake; badly chosen words and the shattering of the tenuous relationship that have started to bud.

"Sweetheart, you know it isn't that" he told her and he gently took hold of her hand in his and started to guide her towards his car, "now you ready for your surprise?" he asked her as they approached the car, but she had already twigged and had broken free of his grasp and dashed towards the passenger door.

"AUNTIE MO!" It always impressed him how many syllables his daughter managed to stretch the name Mo in too. He watched as the door opened and his friend was pummelled by his daughter managing a fairly impressive leap in to the car and on to her lap. He knew his daughter often saw Mo in passing in the hospital, but it had been a while since their shifts had allowed for them to spend some proper quality time together.

"Haven't you gotten big Miss Maconie" Mo grinned as she looked at the child; "you must be almost as tall as Mr Hanssen now" the little girl giggled as she thought of the giant of a man who she saw around the hospital. When she had been much smaller he had been really scary but now she knew he wasn't really that scary at all. She liked the sound of his voice because it made her smile.

"You're silly" the little girl informed her with a wide smile. Before she climbed off, her 'aunties' knee and waited for her daddy to help her in to her car seat in the back. She gave him a small smile, though he could see that she still wasn't completely happy with him.

The drive to his flat was uneventful, with the little girl informing them of what she had gotten up to in school that day. She managed to account for the paint that had ended up on her face, and she told them how her teacher had taken them on a bear hunt – which apparently was one of the bestest games she had played in her whole life; an expression that once again made her sound a lot older than she was though this time it brought a smile to her dad's lips.

"Tell me a story auntie Mo" the child commanded once they were settled on the sofa together "Can you tell me more of the fairy story please?" Mo smiled at the request. It was a fairy story, she had started before the child's arrival in to the world and one which had been continuing for the youngsters amusement though she was still waiting to arrive at the happily ever after. She had found her own, she still had her best friend and, for the most part, their traditions remained in place. But his happily ever after had come to be, and nor did it seem had it happened for the little princess.

"You know the deal Jonny Mac" Mo said smiling at him, and he frowned in response. He wasn't privy to the fairy-tale that his daughter loved so much. It was a special secret between the two of them, though he had tried to ask them both what it was about. His daughter had once told him it was a Holby fairy-tale and that Mr Hanssen was a giant but that seemed to be the most he was allowed to know.

"I guess I'll be going out to get your tea then little Miss" He said, not bothering to remove his jacket and it seemed he would be heading straight back out the door. It had been his plan that they would come back and his little girl would change out of her uniform and that they would head out to the park before going on to supermarket but it seemed that story time with Mo was a better prospect.

"You mean I don't have to go shopping?" He saw the delight in his daughter's eyes at the idea of it. She had a real dislike of food shopping and was usually a right grumpy mare from the moment they pulled in to the car park until the moment he pulled out of it having finished the shop. He'd hoped that having Mo with them would have prevented this.

"It means you don't have to go shopping" he confirmed and she whooped. It saddened him a little that he would lose out on time with her, but he knew she would be happy to spend time with Mo; and that Mo would enjoy time with her goddaughter. "I'll see you two in a bit" he said as he slipped out of the door.

"So Miss Michaela, where did we get too?" Mo asked, once she'd heard the door click shut. She knew it was silly keeping the story a secret but it was something that had just happened and now it was a hard habit to break. Besides it seemed to entertain the little one, having this secret story that was just hers.

"The witch – who wasn't really a bad witch – was trapped in a castle surrounded by big er" the child paused not quite remembering the words that her godmother had used to describe what was surrounding the castle. Mo smiled.

"Barriers, the castle was surrounded by big barriers; that's right isn't it?" she asked and Michaela nodded her head and smiled.

"And the funny prince was trying to rescue her" she smiled, she liked the story. She wanted the prince to rescue the witch. It was a funny story because in most stories the witch was bad and trying to keep the princess away from the prince and the prince was trying to rescue the princess from the witch who was evil. But in this story the witch wasn't really evil – but she was magic and she had hair made of fire.

"I think you've forgotten something" Mo said with a grin. She wasn't sure how much Michaela realised about the story. She knew the giant was Hanssen and she sort of knew that the fairy godmother was Mo – though little Mic still claimed that was her idea because Mo was her real life godmother.

"and there's the little princess – who both the witch and the prince love and who is the only one allowed in and out of the castle because of the spell" Michaela finished with a grin. She liked the little princess best of all – because the little princess was just like her. Princess Michaela Rose Naylor-Maconie. Only she wasn't the princess in the story.

"Right, so the funny Scottish prince is trying to get in to castle and it's really difficult because there's a spell on the castle that means it's surrounded by some real tall, really hard barriers that the prince has to break down" Mo frowned a little, thinking about it. She'd underestimated just how difficult some barriers were to break and she knew the prince was struggling and tiring under the strain. "And the witch is scared, because sometimes when he starts to break the barriers a little it's a bit frightening and because of the magic they rebuild themselves"

"Why?" Michaela asked, with a small frown on her lips. She wanted the prince to win but every time she thought it was going to happen, something always went wrong. There had been the wicked dragon that had tried to block the prince from the castle – she had imagined the dragon looked a little like mummy's then boyfriend but Mo had said no the dragon didn't look like that.

"Well the witch's mum put a spell on her when she was really little, and that spell meant that the big barriers keep building up round the castle but the prince thinks he can break the spell and do you know why?" Mo asked, and she gently tickled under her goddaughter's chin causing her to giggle a little before she looked serious once again.

"Because the prince loves the witch" it was stated with such conviction that Mo couldn't help but grin. "And the witch loves the prince?" the child asked, tilting her head a little to the side. Mo felt the grin slip from her lips as she considered the question.

"She does but magic spell means that sometimes she forgets" Mo answered, with a sigh. The child didn't look convinced by this.

"Why?" she asked and Mo felt her frown deepen. She had forgotten her goddaughter's love of that word. The way she could question you for what seemed like hours on even the smallest thing. It meant that the fairy tale was usually only told in short bursts, because there were too many things to be questioned.

"Well because there's a spell on her too, like the one that makes Sleeping Beauty sleep only for the witch she forgets that she can love" the child twisted her lips as if she was considering this. The fairy story seemed to be getting a little bit too complicated now, and Mo wished she had stuck to Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Stories where the happy ending was pre-written.

"What about the little Princess?" it was an innocent question but it struck Mo hard, she hadn't considered it and she was surprised that Michaela had. She frowned as she tried to come up with an answer.

"The princess had a special magic" she answered finally having thought about how she would go about this "because she had the princes love too; the spell didn't affect her so in order to save the witch from the spell the little Princess and the Prince will work together" it seemed like the only way she could answer, but made sense to her. It was what she had hoped would happen.

The door clicked open and Jonny strolled back in and Mo couldn't help but feel relieved. She smiled up at her friend, and he could see the strain in her face. He hoped that his daughter hadn't been naughty though it seemed to him neither had moved much from when he had left them.

"Well Miss, I guess we'd best get you fed and watered; otherwise your mummy will say I didn't look after you properly" he said gently as he wandered in to his kitchen area with a shopping bag on his arm.

An hour later and his daughter was curled up on his sofa, looking tired and he was preparing to settle next to her; determined to spend some quality time together before her mum would arrive and pick her up on the sofa and carry her away. He looked at his collection of Disney DVDs, a collection he had been building for her since before she was born. He scanned down the list, wondering which one to put on for them to watch together. It was one of their little traditions when they had a Friday together.

"How about Finding Nemo?" he asked, starting to ease the DVD from where it stood in line. He turned to look at his daughter, who yawned a little bit and gave him a small smile.

"I'm too tired now Daddy, you go find Nemo" she whispered softly, her eyes closing a little. He smiled, amused by her comment. He left the DVD and walked over to sofa and sat down next to her. She settled herself against him, resting her head against his chest. While he gently stroked her cheeks as he had done when she was a baby.

"How about no Nemo then?" He said, thinking that perhaps she had already fallen asleep against him. He heard a gently sighing and then she pulled herself away from him and looked at him with eyes so like her mothers.

"But then he'll stay lost daddy" She told him gently, and Jonny smiled.

"We'll find him another day" he answered and she paused for a moment, thinking about it.

"Are you strong daddy?" she asks, as she settles herself back down against him. She knows he's strong enough to carry her around, but she is still quite little and sometimes he does seem to struggle a little bit.

"That's a strange question Cay-girl" he answers though "I think I am" he adds. He thinks about the answer the girl's mum would give. She would probably say he is weak, because he has emotions but she forgets he has seen hers; albeit briefly.

"Are you ever going to do it daddy?" she asks, her eyes closing a little against him though she fights against sleep. She feels his fingers gently stroking her cheek.

"Can I do what?" he answers her question with a question because he doesn't understand. He doesn't understand where Michaela is going with this question.

"Do I get a happy ending daddy?" she asks, slipping more now in to sleep and Jonny feels a prickling in his eyes.

"Of course you do sweetheart, your my little princess" he answers, his fingers still running over the smooth skin of her cheek, he can feel the spot where the paint had been, the paint that he washed away. It was all he wanted for her to be happy.

"So the prince will rescue the witch from the barriers?" she questions, she is so close to sleep now that it is a fight even to get the words out. "And they'll all live happily ever after" she smiles at the thought.

"Oh sweetheart, that's just a story" he tells her though he feels the lump in her throat.

"It isn't Daddy, it's my story" she tells him, her words soft and her tone sleepy. He feels the lump grow bigger as he realises the story that Mo has been telling his child, the story of them. He wonders what ending Mo wants, the one she is leading too. He hates that it has given his daughter false hope and yet he knows the same hope lives within his heart. He leans down and gently places a kiss on the side of her head. She has fallen asleep and now he cannot answer her, he cannot correct her though he knows that wouldn't be able to do any one. He doesn't have the words to break her heart, because they will break his as well. He tries to push away the lump in his throat as he cradles his baby against his body.

He sits there with her against him, thinking of her words. Trying to imagine the storybook world in her head where he is a prince rescuing a witch – the girl's mother. But she hadn't said witch like it was a bad thing and he wondered, how Mo had justified using that title. And he thought of the barriers from which he had to rescue her. His daughter saw them as physical barricades around her mother's body but he knew differently. The barriers were invisible, and inside of her and that made them all the harder to fight again. He is tired of the fight, which he has been fighting for 5 years since he met the woman with whom he fathered this beautiful girl. It is a battle he fears he will never win, and yet one he cannot seem to give up on – because he knows he loves her and even if he did there was Michaela. His beautiful Michaela Rose – who without the 'witch' he wouldn't have, but he wants them both. He wants them to be together, in one house; a family. He wants the happy ending that his daughter craves but he cannot see the way there. He doesn't know how to continue the story; he only knows the ending he wants to reach, the ending she is owed for this after all is a fairy story and those can only end in one way. This story has a beginning and a planned end – but he knows he needs to fill in the middle. He needs to find out how to fight the curse or spell – because isn't that always the cause in these stories – to be able to rescue the one he loves; in order to write the happily ever after.

He hears a wrapping at the door, its one he recognises as hers. And slowly he moves his daughter's body so that she is laid across his sofa sleeping. He smiles down at her before he walks towards the door, he sees her standing there. Her hair is still stuffed in a bun and he knows she has come straight from work. He gives her a small smile which she doesn't return; instead she pushes in to the flat and sees their daughter asleep, a sight which does bring a smile to her face.

"I'd best be getting Michaela home to bed" she says softly, stepping towards her daughter and leaning down to look at the sweetly sleeping face. So many people tell her that the child is the spitting image of her, but she sees mainly the girl's father and only a few traces of herself – which she deems is probably for the best.

"She's so settled, maybe you could stay for a drink or something?" the words sound a little awkward, but he says them all the same. It saddens him how their relationship has changed, how on the ward they are professional and courteous and how in the outside world they only really speak of their daughter. She turns and looks at him, and he sees how tired she is looking.

"I just want to get home to bed" she answers him, though she cannot help but feel there is something tempting in his offer. To talk to him properly for the first time in, she doesn't know how long. It pains her to admit she has missed him. It's strange to miss someone you see most days.

"You could stay here?" He says it as a question "Cay's asleep, and she has her bed here and you can sleep in my bed and I'll have the sofa. And then tomorrow we could have a day just the three of us – maybe take Cay to the park or the zoo or something" he speaks in a rush, unsure of where this has come from. She blinks rapidly as if she cannot quite understand him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea Jonny" she speaks so quietly, her words not quite convincing. His offer is so tempting but she doesn't want to get hurt again. She can't afford for Michaela to get hurt, for her hopes to be built and dashed. She can't let it happen again because last time it had been only her and it had nearly destroyed her. But she cannot deny that she wants it.

"She deserves to see us together occasionally, properly. Just to prove we can do it that she has two parents who came work together, not just a mum in one house and a dad in another who are two entirely separate entities" she closes her eyes for a second as he speaks, "we can be friends, Jac, for a few hours for our daughter. It'll make her happy" he doesn't add that it'll make him happy too though it saddens him that he puts a time limit on how long they can be friends.

"She'll want more" but it isn't just Michaela who'll want more. She knows that she will, and that he will as well. That time spent together will make the longing more pronounced and harder to ignore and she isn't sure she can cope with that.

"We can give it a try, for Michaela. Jac, she needs us to be able to do this" He kneels down so that he is level with her "We always said we'd work together to raise her even if we weren't actually together but look at us. This isn't what we wanted, and it isn't what she deserved" he sees a tear slip from her eye and that confuses him for a moment.

"I'm sorry" she says the words so quietly that he can barely hear them, though he isn't totally sure if they are meant for him, or their daughter. "I'm just, everything, I only want what's best for her"

"And you think I don't?" he asks, he doesn't want to provoke an argument and he can see she is close to cracking. She swallows hard.

"We're making such a mess of this" she looks over at their sleeping daughter. She is totally unaware of so much. Of the circumstances surrounding her conception and birth; of how she'd been viewed as her mother's miracle.

"She's turning out pretty good though" He grins, thinking of their bright beautiful daughter.

"What is we mess her up?" It's her biggest fear. Though one she can't remember admitting to him before, and she wonders why she is now. She has spent so long pretending that everything is good and fine so that he wouldn't see the truth.

"She doesn't seem messed up" He looks at the sleeping face, but he knows that there is still time. She is still so young.

"Not yet she isn't" she yawns a little as she speaks, and she feels a little embarrassed for doing so.

"And she won't be" he tells her "Look, we'll settle our daughter in her bed here, and tomorrow she'll wake up and see us both – and we'll spend the day together and we will take it from there – one day Jac – for Michaela, for us" he is almost pleading and she is so very tired, that she almost wonders if it would be safer to sleep here.

"And you'll be sleeping on the sofa?" she asks a little timidly. He gives her a smile.

"Of course, I will be" though there is a part of him that wishes he would be sleeping alongside her, his arms wrapped around her sleeping form and waking up with her in the morning. But he knew they would be taking it slow, a single step at a time.

"Ok" she says it softly, not quite sure that it's the right thing to do but it's for her daughter, and as he said its one day and if it leads to another day then they can take it as it comes. She gestures towards their daughter, "She really should be in her bed" and he nods. He stands and moves around Jac, sweeping their daughter gently in to his arms and carrying her in to the bed, the girl's mother a few steps behind. He places his lips near to his daughter's ear and whispers gently;

"It was a long battle, but slowly they made their way to their happily ever after"


	2. Chapter 2

**Well this was going to be a one shot but it appears to have become a multi-parter. It was partly inspired by a post I read on facebook by a friend of mine and it inspired this. So I owe a little girl for this being written (although it may have partly extended to something I did when I was about 5 :D ). Hopefully this is ok - it might be a little jumpy, although I'm not sure. Thank you to anyone reading / reviewing.**

Jac sighed as she woke in the early hours of the morning. It took her a moment to realise that she was up far earlier than she should have been, particularly given that she wasn't working that day. As she came to a bit more she became aware that there was someone else in the bed with her and for a moment she wondered if Michaela had snuck in during the night but that didn't make much sense. Michaela only ever slept in her room if she was ill or she'd had a nightmare and in both cases she would have woken her mum rather than just coming in and falling back off to sleep. Jac shifted her body and turned towards the other shape in the bed and she felt the corners of her lips tug in to a smile as she realised. As she saw the curly brown head against the pillow.

It had been three months since the day they had spent together with Michaela; a day where they'd gone to the park and been like something resembling a normal family. It was the day when she realised just how much she enjoyed, and had missed his company. How safe it felt just being in his presence and how watching him with their daughter made her feel.

Things had been slow after that, they'd spoken more at work. They'd banter and flirted – albeit harmlessly. It was something they tried to keep on the downlow although both suspected that Mo was more aware of it than she was letting on; and both suspected that the fairy tale was picking up pace although Michaela was remaining tight lipped on plot details. In fact she'd barely mentioned it since that night, the night when she'd fallen asleep at daddy's and woken up at daddy's the next day – when mummy had been there too.

But there had been a few nights when Mo could continue the story. Three weeks after that day, Jonny had taken Jac to the pub for a chat and Mo had been roped in to babysit although she had been kept in the dark as to the truth behind the date. Jonny had pretended that he had a date with a woman he'd 'met at the pub' while Jac claimed she was going out with Sacha because he needed cheering up and she thought it would be nice for Mo to spend time with her goddaughter while she did so. In all honesty Mo had been wary of the excuses and had worked them in to the story as the witch pretending to send messages to her trusted manservant who resembled a teddy bear when in reality she was sending messages to the prince.

That was the night when Jonny had kissed her for the first time in over four years. It was a gentle kiss, but it was a kiss all the same. It was the night when they had realised that being together was what they wanted and while they said they would take it slowly – and for now keep it a secret from their daughter – they both knew they wanted so much more.

And that was how the time was passed, and Jac smiled thinking back. Of how they had revisited their old spot in the supply cupboard on more than one occasion, and how they had been making excuses to go on little dates together although they were always careful to go to places where they wouldn't be spotted by friends or colleagues.

And they spent time with Michaela together – though on those occasions they were much more careful to hide their budding relationship instead pretending to just be friends because they still feared something going wrong and their daughter being the one who got hurt the most. But those were the days they enjoyed best, the days when they were a family. It made the desire for it to be a much more permanent thing all the greater.

And then there were nights like this, when Jonny slept over having stayed to have tea with his daughter – and his girlfriend – and had helped to put the little girl to bed and to read her a much more traditional bedtime story than the one their daughter favoured. It was nights like that when they came together and he held her in his arms as she fell asleep and she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to do that for a lifetime.

But still they didn't trust themselves to tell quite yet. It still felt so new to them, the idea of being together and they worried so much that it could end badly; that it could end as it had done before only now Michaela was older and her pain would be so much more real. She hadn't known any different as a baby, she hadn't seen how her mum had cried or the way her father reacted and how they had struggled to be civil for so long after that; because despite it all they did still love each other and the pain remained acute for so long. So they kept things hidden, though both hated lying to their daughter.

"Jonny" Jac whispered his name, placing a hand on his shoulder. She knew it was still early the silent alarm hadn't yet vibrated to wake her up, to alert them that he needed to disappear before Michaela awoke. She wondered now why she had awoken, but she pushed that from her mind. It wasn't really important. She heard him grumble as he turned sleepily towards her.

"Is it that time?" he groans and she knows how much he hates this, the having to sneak away like there is something so wrong about this; like they are having some sort of sordid affair not restarting their love story. She gives him a small smile.

"I woke early but" she can't quite explain why she thinks it might be time he goes. She doesn't really want him too, she hates having to watch him leave. She hates knowing that he is going back to his flat alone. She hates that they are living two lives when they should be living one.

"I love you" he whispers as he places a kiss on her lips before he rouses himself and slips out of the bed ready to get dressed and to slip out of her home, like he was never there. He wonders sometimes what his daughter would think if there ever came a time when daddy live in a separate house but was instead a part of her home. How she would feel sharing her mum with him full time. But he knows deep down it is what Michaela wants, that it is what Jac wants too. She smiles.

"I love you too" she answers. She loves the sound of those words on his lips, how genuine they sound. She trusts him so implicitly when he says them. She doesn't doubt the truth in his words, because she has seen the way he says them to their daughter, the way you can see the honesty in his eyes. It's the same when he says it to her – the love is different but the raw honesty is the same and it touches her. She hopes he knows the same is true of her feelings. "We won't have to do this forever" she tells him and he smiles coming back over to her and kisses her once more.

"Not forever. Baby steps remember" he tells her repeating the words they'd said on that night in the pub, that they would take baby steps. They would take things as they came and they would grow together. So much had changed and now there was more at stake but the feelings remained, become more intense even, and that was what mattered.

"Baby steps" she confirmed as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling as he embraced her in return. So much of their relationship before had been physical, but now she felt something had changed in them. There was still that need, the passion but there was something more now. She treasured the moments like this when they simply held each other, the moments when she felt safe in his arms, when she felt loved. She hoped that one day, they would hold each other like this with their daughter between them; the two of them safe in his arms.

"Tell Cay I love her" he says quietly as he kisses her one final time before he slips from her bedroom. She doesn't follow, she hates watching him leaving because so much of her longs to beg him to stay.

* * *

_A few hours later_

"Mummy" Michaela wandered in to the kitchen, clutching two dolls in her hand – the one's Mo had given her for her fifth birthday. Jac gave her daughter a smile, though there was something about the little girl's face that gave her cause for panic.

"Yes?" Jac answered, trying to puzzle out why the expression worried her. Michaela was an inquisitive child and she often wore a quizzical expression as she did now, but there was something about her eyes that made Jac think that the child had been pondering whether this question was alright to ask.

"I have a question" The child's voice sounded a bit worried, and Jac twisted her lips a little concerned as to what would give her daughter such cause for concern. She tried to think back over the past few weeks, whether there had been any changes in the child's life or her behaviour that could have led to this.

"You know you can ask me anything" Jac tells her with a smile. She can't quite think of anything though she wonders if something could have happened in school, something in the world where her daughter was much more separate to her; where things could happen without her knowledge.

"Well, you know boys and girls" As a way of indicating, Michaela raised the dolls in her hands and Jac smiled, though she wasn't sure where this was going to lead too.

"I do" Jac confirmed, with a hint of amusement in her tone. If it had been anyone other than her daughter, the response would have been biting and sarcastic but things were different with her little girl. Michaela grinned, evidently pleased with her mother's knowledge.

"Good. When boys and girls snog lying down" at this point Michaela moved the dolls in her hand so that their bodies were connected and Jac raised an eyebrow suddenly feeling a lot more nervous at where this was headed, and what was going on in her five years old head, "well which one goes on top – the boy or the girl?" Michaela then demonstrated both options in order to further get her point across, while Jac struggled between being horrified, shocked and secretly close to laughing.

"Well sweetheart" She paused for a moment, trying to collect herself and to think of an age appropriate response. She hadn't quite envisioned that she would be having any conversations of this nature for a good many years yet and now she was quite at a loss. Finally she came up with something that seemed to work, although there was twinge of guilt at having to lie to her baby – though it was something that she had been doing a lot more recently "people don't lie down to snog until they're married" she said softly and Michaela tilted her head a little.

"Are you sure mummy?" She asked with a small confused smile and a sparkle in her young eyes. Jac raised her eyebrows in response to this, she was used to her daughter accepting what she said, she was used to it from people in general.

"I am definitely sure Michaela" she responded while Michaela twisted her lips together. Jac could tell that her daughter's mind was working overtime as she tried to come up with what she needed to say next. Finally a smile tugged at the corners of the girl's lips as she looked down the dolls in her hands before glancing back up at her mum.

"You and daddy aren't married are you mummy?" the child questioned. There was a hint of amusement in her young voice and a confidence. Jac frowned at her daughter's question, not quite understanding the relevance or the reason for the shift in the conversation. In fact Jac was feeling altogether a bit lost.

"No, but you know that" Jac answered, gently. She knew that having her two parents together was something that Michaela wanted more than anything – even more than she wanted a puppy – so she didn't want to sound too harsh in her answer. Michaela nodded at this, though there was a look of puzzlement in her face.

"I thought not" she said with such a grown up inflection that Jac was momentarily stunned, "But mummy if you aren't married why did I see you and daddy lying down together?" the child added, with one raised eyebrow and a half frown, half smile on her face as she contemplated that her mother may be lying to her and the confusion over what she had seen. In order to make it clearer to her mum what she had seen, Michaela moved the dolls in her hands and Jac felt herself momentarily frozen with shock.

"Well, Mic" she tried to formulate a sentence but she was feeling even more at a loss now than before. Words no longer seemed to come in to her, and those that did appear didn't make much sense. She was certain that she and Jonny have been careful, that Michaela hadn't seen them.

"Did you lie mummy?" it was an innocent enough question but to Jac it tore at her heart a little as she thought about how much she had been hiding from her daughter. It had seemed like it was for the best; that it could protect Michaela if things didn't work out.

"I didn't lie, it's just that mummy and daddy have a special relationship and" she couldn't quite work out how best to explain this to a five year old, it seemed to her that there probably was no way of actually explaining this to such a young child without telling her far more than she needed to know.

"But you said you can't do it if you're not married?!" It was an exclamation, said with shock and disapproval and Jac suddenly felt as if she were being scolded by her five year old, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was for her actions with Jonny, the lie she had told or both.

"You break the rules sometimes though don't you Mic?" Jac asked, though she wasn't sure why. This wasn't the best tact to take but she couldn't help but be a little bit defensive. Her daughter seemed to ponder the question, thinking whether she should own up to the things she did wrong or whether she should lie – which in itself was a wrong doing.

"But you're a mummy and mummies aren't meant to break rules or lie or do bad things" Michaela spoke quickly like a child on a mission with a mind running at a 100 miles per hour. "You're meant to set a good ex, ex"

"Example" Jac filled in the word her daughter could quite find, and satisfied Michaela nodded.

"Yes a good example" It was stated with such seriousness that Jac wanted to laugh. She was definitely being told off here, and it was something she was certain her colleagues would love to see; the ice maiden consultant being scolded by the tiny fireball that was her daughter. She was certain it would have caused hours of laughter amongst them. But they would never see her like this. "To me"

"What you saw Michaela, was just mummy and daddy being friendly. You know we're friends don't you?" Jac knelt down so that she level with her daughter and watched as the little girl considered this. She looked down at the position of the dolls in her hands, the ones she had been using to demonstrate with. She looked at her mummy.

"But I have friends and we don't do this" Michaela reasoned and Jac felt her eyes widen in shock at the logic. She was suddenly wondering if she was going to be able to say anything without her daughter managing to twist it, or find something wrong in the words. It scared her that Michaela was already like this at 5, it didn't bode well for what she'd be like as a teenager.

"I should hope not Michaela!" It was spoken softly but there was a warning in the words, and Michaela stepped backwards from her mum. Jac sighed a little, "When you're a grown up like mummy and daddy sometimes friends do things differently because we're a special type of friend" Jac was quite proud of that and she allowed herself a small smile. Reasoning with a child was far harder than winning an argument against one of her colleagues.

"You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend?" Michaela grinned at that, as if she had won something and Jac wondered if somehow this had been her daughter's plan all along to get to the point of finding out that her parents relationship was changing. But Jac wasn't quite sure she wanted to go there yet.

"Not quite" was the best answer she could managed, which earned her a frustrated sigh from the child.

"You are hopeless" Michaela informed her, looking her mum in the eyes and without a hint of amusement in her tone. Jac raised an eyebrow at that, unsure of where he daughter would have come up with something like that.

"And did daddy teach you that?" was the question asked in response and Michaela shook her head while pursuing her lips. "Then where did you get it from?"

"The prince and the witch" the little girl answered, remembering the most recent part of the story where the prince had nearly managed to break in to the castle, but the witch was fighting against him even though she loved him – and the prince was struggling and potentially close to giving up. Mo had called the pair hopeless and the words had come to Michaela at that moment and she had felt quite proud of herself for remembering it.

"So Mo then" Jac supplied, thinking of the story she knew her daughter had been told by her godmother. It was a story that had led to the sort of reconciliation between her and Jonny and for that she was somewhat grateful but she couldn't help but worry that it was damaging to her daughter.

"Maybe" Michaela told her not wanting to get her storyteller in trouble, but knowing that her mum knew the answer. "I'm bored now, can I go play?" was the words spoken before Michaela dashed off in the direction of her bedroom. She was something of a blur when she moved at full speed and she had left Jac feeling more than a little bit dazed.

She thinks for a moment trying to compose herself, before she pulls her mobile phone from her pocket. She unlocks it and scrolls through her virtual phonebook and smiles when she comes to his number. He's changed his name on their again to 'Sexy Celt' and she wonders at what point he did that. Though it isn't the first time. She swipes her finger on the screen until it dials.

"Hello beautiful" She hears his voice and she smiles, she loves hearing him call her that.

"I think, Mr Maconie – you need to have a chat with your daughter; she has some very interesting questions" Jac informed him with a slight laugh "Can you come over later, maybe bring an overnight bag or something?" she adds, wondering how he is reacting at the other end, wishing she could see his face and the expression he's pulling. She hopes he knows she's smiling, she hopes he understands.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'll be honest in that I really struggled with writing this part, because I knew what I wanted to happen but just couldn't seem to get there - it probably didn't help that I've already written part 4. I think the voices may be slightly wrong here - and probably not true to the characters and for that I am sorry. I hope it's ok and thank you to anyone reading / reviewing. **

**Oh and Michaela in this part (or at least one part of it) is based entirely on something I said as a five year old to my parents (although in a different situation!)**

Jonny glanced at the bag on the passenger seat of her car, wondering why on earth Jac had asked him to bring it with him. He was near certain that she wouldn't have arranged some sort of trip for them – or at least not an overnight one because of their work commitments; although thinking about it, he was certain they were both off the next day. Still the other possibility was harder to contemplate, that she was going to allow him to stay overnight and not have to sneak out in the early hours of the morning because they still weren't ready for Michaela to find out about their relationship. A part of him wanted their daughter to know, he felt guilty for pretending things weren't happening, particularly when they were things the little girl so desperately desired. He sighed, and decided for now he would leave the bag there, until he knew where he stood. He didn't want to have gotten the wrong idea and so he eased himself from the car and made his way to her door.

"Where's the squirt?" He asked when Jac opened the door to him. A large part of him wanted to kiss her, but he daren't risk it with Michaela potentially near by. If she caught them, him, doing that, Jac would give him hell. Jac stepped aside to let him in and gave him a small smile before she closed the door over.

"She's gone for a playdate with Tulaila" Jac answered a little sadly, "It seems that was more interesting than a day with her mum" she added. A part of Jac was regretting letting her daughter go out, but she'd been unable to resist the pleading eyes once her daughter had realised there was a chance of going out with her friend rather than staying in.

"Tulaila? I thought she was friends with Ramona" Jonny responded, knowing that trying to keep up with his daughter's playmates was a constant challenge. Since she'd started school in September, her best friend seemed to change on a weekly basis although Tulaila definitely wasn't a name he'd heard before.

"She fell out with Ramona – something to do with dinosaurs and dragons I think" Jac sounded a little bit disinterested. As much as she loved her daughter, she did find herself getting frustrated with the other gaggle of girls in the class. Playdates which occurred in the Naylor household were definitely few and far between because of Jac's struggles.

"So we have a little bit of alone time?" Jonny grinned a little cheekily as he surveyed the empty room. Jac looked at him with a small smile.

"We do, but we need to talk" she sounded a little bit disappointed, or at least he hoped she did.

"We do?" Jonny wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, a talk with Jac never usually lead to good things. She sighed and lead him over to her sofa and sat down, indicating for him to do the same. He perched next to her. He was certain this couldn't be bad, she'd only a few hours before asked him to bring an overnight bag and told him that Michaela had questions and now they were having a talk.

"I think someone knows about us" Jac said quietly, looking at her hands for a moment. Jonny considered her words, he didn't think it was such a bad thing that people knew provided that Michaela didn't find out from them, and that it was still kept sort of on the quiet. He was sure it was something of a known secret anyway.

"Well if it's Mo, she hardly counts" he said finally, thinking of the times they had used Mo as a babysitter and the stupid excuses they had come up with. He knew his friend was suspicious, more than suspicious even but he daren't tell her anything more. Jac looked up at him and smiled.

"No you idiot, Michaela" Jac states, thinking of the conversation she'd had with her daughter earlier. She watched as realised dawned on Jonny's face and the flicker of concern in his eyes.

"We've been so careful" he sounds disappointed in himself, for not managing to do the one thing Jac had wanted, keeping this quiet for the time being although he knows it is entirely his fault. Jac gives me a small smile.

"Michaela has the skills of a pint sized super sleuth – and I don't think she quite knows everything but we may have to tell her before she gets the wrong idea" Jac relents a little, telling their daughter may be the easier option now rather that overtly lying to her. That could come back to bite them even harder in the long run. Jonny half smiles at this.

"Really?" He sounds surprised, that Jac would be one to suggest this, he had thought it would be him asking a few weeks down the line. It makes him realise just how important this is to her, and the truth of her feelings.

"Really" she confirms with a smile, surprised at how natural this feels "though maybe it should stay between the three of us; just for a bit longer" Jonny smiles. Jac may have changed, but the old Jac is still there. There's still the fear and the reluctance, but slowly she's getting there – and to include their daughter, he knows, is a massive step for her.

"bye Laila" Michaela calls as she dashes in to her home, her smile widening at the sight of both her parents waiting for her. She flings herself in to her daddy's arms and allows him to sweep her in to the air, before she reaches out to her mum and allows herself to be passed between them.

"Did you have a good time?" Jac asks her daughter, as she places her back down to the ground. Michaela grins and nods her head.

"We had lots of fun with our barbies – and I know what I have to do with you" the grown up tone makes the two parents smile. It sounds alien when matched with the grown up expression on the child's face. They had been expecting this.

"And that is?" Jac questioned. She had filled Jonny in on the earlier conversation though she left out some of the details, not quite wanting to spoil their daughter's innocence in his mind. Though she is still secretly amused by the whole thing, despite knowing that it is probably wrong.

"Well we worked it out with Midge and Alan" Michaela explains, and Jac mouths to Jonny that those are the names of the dolls currently sticking out of the backpack that Michaela has unceremoniously dumped just in side of the door, "I need to put you on the naughty step" by this point the child has placed her hands on her hips and is doing quite the impression of a disciplinarian parents.

"The naughty step?" Jonny queries wondering how on earth their daughter has picked up on this technique given it is something he has never used, and is certain that Jac doesn't either. Michaela nods, like she is explain something very simple to two very silly children.

"Yes the naughty step. You've both lied to me and not set a good example so you need to go on the naughty step cos Supernanny says so" Michaela frowns "but she says you have to do one minute for how old you are and that would be a lot of minutes and I would be bored because I wouldn't be allowed to talk to you so I've decided you only have to do five minutes because I am five and that seems better"

"Right well, I don't really think that's going to happen Michaela" Jac tells her daughter, who narrows her eyes and fixes her mum with a rather good impression supernanny despite the fact Jac is certain her daughter has never seen the show – and would have no idea who Jo Frost is.

"But you told lies" Michaela reasons "and Tulaila says when her sister, Meagan tells lies she has to sit on the step and then Laila teases her but that doesn't seem far and maybe Laila should have to sit on the step then too but she says she doesn't"

"How about we discuss suitable punishments later, Cay? Me and mummy had something we want to talk to you about" Jonny speaks quietly and doesn't give his daughter time to answer, instead he sweeps her up and carries her to the sofa with Jac follow a few steps behind. The three of them settle together, positioning themselves so that they can see each other.

"are we getting a puppy?" Michaela asks with a cheeky smile and her parents laugh a little.

"No" the answer in unison and Michaela for a second, goes in to a sulk before realising that there is probably something good going on so she returns her attention to her parents.

"Michaela, me and mummy have been thinking recently" Jonny starts to talk wondering how to explain this to his daughter, he looks to Jac for a moment and she smiles

"And we've been thinking that we work better together and that maybe we could be boyfriend and girlfriend" she concludes, Michaela twists her lips together as she thinks. She looks down at her hands for a second before she turns back to her parents with a shy smile on her lips.

"Does that mean you will be getting all sexed up?!" She exclaims, flicking one of her fingers upwards repeatedly in a gesture that cannot be mistaken and which her parents find themselves struggling not to laugh at.

"Where on earth did you get that from?" Jac is the first to recover herself and Michaela frowns for a second before smiling.

"We were playing Finder's Keepers in Meagan's room and found a book and it was really, really interesting. So are you and daddy going to get sexed up?" She repeats the words and her gesture again.

"Well that book wasn't meant for you to read Michaela" Jac scolds her daughter a little but she knows she isn't really to blame and she can't help but feel a little pleased that her daughter was able to read at least a few of the words.

"You're not answering me" Michaela's voice is low, much lower than a child's should be and there's a note of warning there. Jonny frowns.

"Well Cay, mummy and daddy love each other and that's all that matters" Jonny reasons and his daughter smiles and twists her lips seemingly happy with that answer.

"Does this mean I can have a baby brother or sister? The book says that's how you get one, if the daddy does this" She repeats her finger gesture "and then he and the mummy get sexed up so can I please? If I have a baby I don't need a puppy" Jac frowns, her daughter is her miracle and she has always dreaded the sibling conversation and she looks at Jonny for supporting. He gives their little girl a smile.

"Why would we want another child when we have one as wonderful as you?" he asks, and Michaela grins and laughs.

"Then I get a puppy" She says with a nod and Jac sighs and she looks at Jonny. It appears they may be having a serious conversation soon about pets and babies although she knows that one may be much easier than the other. "Does this mean that daddy is gonna live with us?" she adds, having finally thought of this "and that you are gonna get married so you can set a good example 'cos babies and puppies need good examples set just like me"

"I think you may be getting a bit ahead of yourself Michaela" Jac says softly, but secretly she does quite like the way her daughter's mind is working and from the look on Jonny's face she thinks he does too.


	4. Chapter 4

**This part really is just sort of random fluff but I couldn't resist writing it. It's partly based on something I used to do - and partly based on a little girl I used to babysit :) So hopefully it's ok :)**

Jonny grinned as his daughter settled herself on his back for a piggyback ride to the park. Beside him, Jac strolled along side; occasionally glancing back at her daughter to make sure that she wasn't slipping. It felt natural the three of them being together, and now that Michaela was a little more in the loop as to the status of their relationship she hoped that this could, perhaps, become the norm for them although she was still wary of the situation becoming completely public knowledge. She liked the idea of it being between the three of them for a while, and besides which maybe it would be nicer to just let things happen as they came rather than some big public announcement – which wasn't really her style. Though she was sure, if they had their way, Jonny and Michaela probably would want that sort of attention.

"MUMMY, MUMMY, LOOK" she was drawn from her thoughts by the rather excited proclamations of her daughter, which drew interest from the people around them. They were walking through the gateway of the park and Michaela was bouncing around on her father's shoulders with a proud grin on her face.

"Michaela, you don't need to be quite so loud" Jac admonished a little, though to be fair to her daughter the rule was when she was outside she could use her outdoors voice though this was far louder than she normally managed. Jonny halted for a second, once he was past the gateway and therefore wouldn't be blocking other people from entering or exiting. "What is it Mic?" she added.

"DADDY HAS GREY HAIRS!" Michaela exclaimed with an obvious delight as she comb through her daddy's hair "LOOK MUMMY; ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN. THERE'S SO MANY MUMMY, IT WOULD BE MUCH QUICKER TO COUNT IN TENS THAN ONES, LOOK" Michaela was very obviously buzzing with excitement at her discovery and Jac was struggling hard with not laughing.

"Well sweetheart, I don't think daddy really wants everyone to know this" Jac told her child, noting the redness that had spread over Jonny's face and the stares, and smirks of amusement, from the people around them. Michaela seemed totally oblivious to this and was still combing through her father's hair.

"THERE'S REALLY LOADS OF THEM MUMMY" Michaela grinned at her mum and Jac stifled a laugh as she looked at Jonny, who appeared to want the ground to swallow him up.

"Well Michaela, I think you may be the cause of many of them" Jac informed her child, with the slightest hint of a giggle slipping from her lips, something which earned her a glare of contempt from her partner, who she offered a very small smile of apology. Michaela frowned for a moment, as she thought about her mother's words.

"That's silly mummy" Michaela answered, in a volume which was relatively normal much to the relief of her parents who were beginning to wonder if at some point after leaving the house, their child's voice box had been replaced by a loud speaker, "I haven't been colouring in daddy's hair with my pens" Jac couldn't help herself but laugh at that comment, and even Jonny had a very small smile on his lips although the red was barely fading from his cheeks.

"I know that" Jac replied and sighed knowing that she probably wasn't going to win this argument with her daughter. Michaela suddenly seemed to twig on to something and an even larger smile played on her face.

"DADDY HAS GREY HAIR; DOES THAT MEAN DADDY IS OLD MUMMY?" Jonny frowned at this, he definitely didn't consider himself to be old and the fact that his daughter now potentially thought of him that way, did make him feel a little sad.

"Well no, not really" Jac reasoned with a smile, wondering if her daughter actually knew that she was the older of the couple.

"BUT HE HAS GREY HAIR, AND OLD PEOPLE HAVE GREY HAIR" it was a childish logic but one that Jac couldn't understand, although it seemed to her that Jonny only had a scattering of greying strands amongst his curly brown locks which would make it seem that he was only aging rather than actually old.

"Daddy isn't that old, and lots of his hair is still brown" Jac responded and Michaela considered this as she continued to search out silvery strands.

"Maybe he colours them in himself – do you daddy?" she queries with a smile, though at least she does so at a lower volume and Jonny tries to drag himself under control enough to answer his child. He sighs a little.

"No I don't colour in my hair, Cay. That would be silly wouldn't it?" He tells her, and he feels the child jiggle a little on his shoulders. He starts to lower her to the ground hoping she'll abandoned this conversation due to the distractions offered by the play area.

"IF YOUR OLD DADDY, DO YOU NEED A WALKING STICK?!" Michaela shouts her question, from her new position standing on the ground. It's asked with an air of innocence and she turns to her mum with a smile, "MUMMY WE NEED TO GO SHOPPING AND GET DADDY A WALKING STICK LIKE THAT MAN OVER THERE" she points out an older man walking the park with an elderly dog on a lead and Jac has to force herself not to smile. The man that Michaela has picked has to easily be in his late seventies.

"Michaela, daddy isn't that old" Jac exclaims a little and she can see how very much Jonny wants to disappear and leave the park, their daughter having well and truly embarrassed him. Michaela considers this and looks around the park for a moment.

"NOW THAT DADDY IS GOING GREY, CAN HE STILL PLAY WITH ME?" Michaela suddenly twigs on to this and turns back to her parents and lightning speed and Jonny kneels down so that he is level with his daughter and gives her a bright smile, while trying to push away his embarrassment.

"Of course I can still play with you Munchkin, I bet I can still run faster than you and beat you at football, and do you want to know a secret?" He asks watching as his daughter considers what he has said. Finally she nods her head.

"I like secrets" She tells him with a bright smile.

"Mummy is older than daddy" he tells her and watches as Michaela's eyes widen in surprise as she considers this. She turns to look at her mum, with wide eyes.

"But mummy doesn't have grey hairs, do you mummy?" Michaela talks much more quietly when broaching the subject with her mum, and Jonny wonders why. Perhaps his daughter is exhibiting favouritism although he isn't quite sure. Jac frowns and shoots Jonny a dirty look at the turn the conversation has taken.

"Well no" She says, although she knows it isn't quite the whole truth, that she has used dyes to cover the grey hairs that occasionally sneak in unwanted. She isn't ready to accept them yet, or to have the fact announced to a park full of people.

"So she isn't older than you daddy" Michaela reasons with a bright smile, and a strange logic that neither of her parents quite understands but which obviously makes sense to the child.

"I am definitely older than daddy" Jac confirms with a smile, as she too kneels down in front of the child, hoping that maybe she can diffuse this conversation.

"But your hair is red like mine, not grey and brown like daddy's" Michaela's voice sounds confused as she thinks about everything she knows about older people, and how to recognise them as such. It seems to her that daddy has more of the signs than mummy but not as many as Uncle Sacha, who has lot less than funny Mr Hope who is most definitely very old.

"Promise you can keep a secret?" Jac asks her daughter, who nods really very solemnly although Jac isn't entirely sure she trusts her little girl at this moment in time, "well sometimes mummy has a little bit of help and uses a special shampoo that gets rid of grey hairs" Michaela twists her lips a little as she looks at her mum's hair.

"Can I have special shampoo? Can I have pink hair?" Michaela is bouncing at the prospect and Jac sighs, and shakes her head.

"It's for grown-ups sweetie, and besides you have very pretty hair" Jac reasons and Michaela seems pleased enough with the assessment of her own hair although something clicks in her young mind and a flash of panic crosses her face as she turns to look at Jonny.

"DO YOU STILL LOVE MUMMY, DADDY? COS SHE SAYS SHE COLOURS HER HAIR WITH SPECIAL SHAMPOO AND YOU SAID IT WAS SILLY WHEN I ASKED IF YOU COLOUR IN YOUR HAIR TO GET RID OF THE GREY ONES THAT MEAN YOUR OLD AND NOW MUMMY IS SILLY AND OLD AND NOW YOU MIGHT NOT LOVE HER – AND YOU ONLY JUST LOVED HER AGAIN AND I DON'T WANT YOU NOT TO LOVE HER" it was spoken in a mad rush of words and both Jonny and Jac had to struggle to keep up with what she had spoken at the speed of light and at a volume which meant that most of Holby would have heard her.

"Maconie and Naylor are in love is that right?" Michaela spins round at the sound of an American accent and both Jonny and Jac feel their eyes darting upwards at the sight of Michael Spence in the park, and even more annoyingly Jac is certain she can see Mo Effanga in the distant with someone who looks strangely like Sacha while Jonny thinks that he may have spotted Oliver Valentine. Though neither of the adults are quite sure why so many Holby staff members appear to have chosen to come to this park at this very moment.

"No Mummy and Daddy are in love" Michaela answers with a smile and an emphasis on the words mummy and daddy. Michael laughs at this and smiles at the little girl.

"Congratulations, you two" he says to the couple, who are both looking a little bit alarmed at the sudden outing of their relationship in such a very public arena. Suddenly it seems to Jac that something in the hospital would have been favourable to this very busy park where they are now, even more so, the centre of attention. Michaela suddenly catches sight of her favourite storyteller and dashes of in her direction where she is promptly swept up in a hug.

"Well done, angel" Mo whispers in her ear, although Michaela isn't quite sure why. Still she enjoys the praise and Mo watches over the child's shoulders as Jac and Jonny stand and how for a moment he takes her hand and squeezes it, and the look that passes between them. Turning slightly Mo grins at Sacha before the pair of them walk towards the happy couple, Mo still carrying the child in her arms.


End file.
